The Life of Lily Evans
by All-Time-Abby
Summary: A story that leads through Lily Evans life from seventh year to the end of it all. Romance, sadness, anger, happiness, and death. Reviews appreciated!
1. Chapter 1: The Head Girl's Lover

Loud footsteps filled the hallway, but not as loud as the mouths of the reuniting children were as they boarded the Hogwarts train. But Lily Evans didn't pay any attention to that, nor how lonely she was as she sat all by herself in the large compartment. What she did pay attention to was her family as they watched her, waiting for her to leave.

Usually she'd be upset to leave, but this time she wasn't. Not since this is her final year at Hogwarts. And with the current events going on in her muggle life, she'd rather be in the magical world for all of eternity. But she couldn't be. She had a life there, in the muggle world. She had a family. Even last summer she met a boy, although she knew nobody from her hometown could put up with what she was. 'A freak' as her older sister, Petunia, would call her. A freak girl going to a school especially for freaks. And maybe Petunia was right, maybe she was a freak. But she couldn't control what she was born to do.

She leaned her head against the window, watching as her sister glared at her from the platform. She felt nauseous, sick to her stomach because the person she had been closest to growing up, the person she looked up to the most had hated her so much.

There was a light knock on the compartment door before it slid open, her head shot to the side, noticing a familiar boy.

"What do you want, Potter?" She asked with a tiny smile. Brushing a strand of auburn hair behind her ear.

"I haven't seen you all summer, and that's the greeting I get?" James Potter whined, shaking his head. "I just wanted to give you a welcome back present from Professor McGonagall." He handed her a pin with the words 'Head Girl' written on it in silver. She took it from him and groaned, sighing.

"I forgot to go to the meeting. Thank you." She mumbled, feeling so stupid at how her feelings overwhelmed her so foolishly.

"That's all right." James chuckled lightly. "I did enough work for the two of us. Mind if I sit?" He asked, sitting across from her after she nodded acceptingly. He grabbed a pin out of his pocket, almost identical to hers, pinning it to his chest.

"Oh no." She moaned. "Please don't tell me that you're Head Boy." She whined, cupping her hands in her face teasingly. James nodded, a slight smile forming on his face.

"Don't be so rude, Evans. You're hurting my feelings." He mumbled, trying to hide the smile. Suddenly, the compartment door opened once again. Two boys entering. Sirius Black and Remus Lupin. Remus sat beside Lily, Sirius beside James.

Being best friends, James and Sirius began talking about everything they did during the summer, meanwhile, Remus handed Lily an envelope, which caught Sirius' eye. "What is it?" Sirius asked, catching James' attention.

"It's from some boy. He said his name was Rory. He came up to me and asked if I knew a Lily Evans, then handed me the envelope, demanding I deliver it to her when I see her." Those words caused Lily to blush slightly.

Rory Jackson was the boy's name. She met him the summer leading into her fifth year. Although this was the first summer they had had a conversion. When she met him the first time before fifth year, he was the first guy she had gotten along with at home, in fear that any boy she met would turn out like Severus Snape, the boy who broke her heart, the 'Mudblood caller.'

This summer, the Rory boy had come to her house everyday, he was like all the muggles in her town, practically poor. He helped her mother with tidying the house, and she payed him enough money for his family to get through the week. Lily felt bad, so she helped him. They had become friends over the very few weeks he had worked for her mother, but she tried not to get too attached to him like she had Severus.

A few weeks after, he had quit on a good account, finding a job that payed better money. And each day, he still visited her home, every day they took a walk around the neighborhood lake. She had fallen for the Rory boy, but she was convinced that he'd never feel anything for her. For she was a witch. A freak.

Ever since that summer she had avoided him, and he didn't bother her anymore.

This summer, her family moved a few neighborhoods away from where she had first lived. The next few days were boring until their neighbors welcomed them to their new home. And one boy, one sad looking boy looked familiar. He was seen on their porch. Maybe he was so sad because her sister, Petunia, had been flirting with him. She soon figured out who it was. It was the Rory boy. Their eyes met and she could feel her heart drop to her stomach. Thoughts ran through her head about how much he must hate her or how the first thing to come out of his mouth would be why she had avoided him. But that's not what happened at all.

Petunia, right in the middle of a flattering sentence noticed the boy ignoring her, walking up the steps dreamily as he approached Lily. "Hi." He mumbled.

Lily looked down guiltily. "Hi, Rory." She murmured softly, avoiding the gaze of his beautiful blue eyes.

"Long time, no see." He sighed, as if a huge weight had been lifted off of his chest. "I missed you." He whispered, like he was trying to keep it a secret. But it was no secret, but neither was Lily missing him a secret as she wrapped her arms around his neck, his hands embracing her waist as her pulled her into a close hug. It must've been obvious to him that she didn't need to say, 'I miss you' for him to know that indeed she did.

Over that summer, they had gotten very close to each other. In fact, Lily had never been closer to anyone else. Maybe this was meant to happen. Maybe they were meant for each other. He had known everything about her, except her magical ability. Which she swore to herself she wouldn't expose.

A few days before Lily left, they sat by the lake together. That was night she had her first kiss. That was the night he told her that he loved her.

But right now, sitting on the train moments before it started it's journey to Hogwarts, Lily couldn't figure out why she had seen Rory outside the window from the corner of her eye. How could he be there? Only those who know of Hogwarts can get to the platform. She never told him what she was. How could he know? She looked at over at him, his face was sad and angry. She held the envelope tightly before opening. It was a small letter. She read the whole thing over at least three times, but the only thing that caught her eyes the most was the words, "I can't love a freak." Tears formed in her eyes, not even caring about James, Sirius, and Remus staring at her, she shakily set the letter on the table. "Excuse me." She whispered before walking out of the compartment quickly, making her way towards the bathroom.

The three boys looked at each other. James slowly reached for the letter, Remus noticing the Rory boy had gone now, talking to Petunia. James read the letter, the words sinking into his head, causing pain to his heart.

_My dear Lily Evans,_

_I've never been happier with a girl. I missed you so much that lonely summer you while you avoided me. And I never figured out why. I thank your sister for telling me the truth when the girl I loved never could. You're beautiful, Lily. You're smart, beautiful, and you look like everybody else. But you're not. You're a freak. And I'm sorry, but I can't love a freak._

_Sincerely, Rory Jackson_

James' heart sank. He gripped the letter tightly before ripping it in half, throwing it onto the ground, startling Remus and Sirius. "Did you see the look on her face when you told her who it was from?" James asked almost silently, his voice shaky. "She was so happy. She loved him. But he's just as bad as Snape. He's just as bad as her sister. He called her a freak. He said he could never love a freak." His voice was filled with such hatred. That Rory kid didn't love her. But James did. Since fifth year he did love her. And nobody knew but his two closest friends who had just witnessed his frustrated break down.

"James, she won't be coming back to the compartment." Remus murmured. "The three of us will watch over her during dinner, make sure she doesn't do something she'll regret. After she's finished eating, you need to talk to her. You're the one she trusts the most, she feels most comfortable around you." He stated, looking concerned for both Lily and James as the train began to start, heading for Hogwarts. Their true home.


	2. Chapter 2: Invisible Lovers

It was late at night when the train pulled into the Hogsmeade Station. The lights in the castle were so bright and obvious, even from such a far distance.

James, being Head Boy, along with the Prefects were the first to exit the train, watching as the rest of the students followed. James found as many First Years as he could and brought them to the half-giant wizard, Rubeus Hagrid, Keeper of Keys and Grounds of Hogwarts. It brought him back to the first time he met Lily Evans. They had met on the train. He was so full of himself back then, bullying people to make others like him. He was so arrogant. He had always bullied people, especially Lily's best friend, Severus Snape.

The more he thought about it, the more he realized that he was the reason Snape and Lily's friendship ended. He had pushed Snape so far, made him so angry, that he used that foul word.

He shook the thought out of his head, letting Hagrid thank him before walking off, glancing through the crowd of kids for his Lily, who was no where to be found. He sighed, not wanting to start searching the train and get in trouble, so he followed the rest of the students through the gates and into the castle.

The Great Hall was filled with excited students, he looked around and smiled. He had to make this his best year, for it was his last. He sat down beside Remus, Sirius and Peter Pettigrew sat across from them. James looked around the table, a sigh of relief escaped his lips when he saw Lily enter the room. He watched as she sat down at the end of the table next to her friends, Marlene McKinnon and some girl named Alice.

They watched as they do every year as the First Years were put into one or the four houses and Dumbledore, the Headmaster, spoke the same speech he did during his first year. Afterwards, the feast began.

The rejoicing was great, but the feast ended quicker than everyone wanted. Soon enough, the prefects were leading their houses to their common rooms. James stayed with his the friends, turning as someone tapped on his shoulder. It was Lily.

"McGonagall wants us to start the rounds after we get settled into our dormitories." Lily mumbled, avoiding eye contact.

"Of course." James nodded, noticing his friends had left him. The two walked to the Heads Common Room together, splitting up when they had to walk up the steps to the separated dormitories.

After roaming around her dormitory nervously, she made her way downstairs. She saw James waiting for her, his hands stuffed in his pockets like usual. She got to the bottom of the staircase, greeting James with a small smile, avoiding eye contact once again. She tugged a piece of auburn hair behind her ear before she started walking toward the door, expecting James to be following her.

They went on their rounds, patrolling the halls in silence. Lily was too broken to speak. And James was too angry to bring the train ride up. So what was the point of speaking to each other? Every few minutes they'd make eye contact, quickly glancing at one another.

It soon became late, both of them too tired to travel through the castle any further, so they turned around, heading back to the Heads Common Room. They got to their destination eventually, continuing the awkward silence. Entering the room, they split up, each turning to go up a different staircase. Lily was already halfway up before James made it to the first step before he called for her name. His voice cracky.

"Yes, Potter?" She asked, squeezing the handrail of the staircase nervously.

"Lily," James began, looking up at her. She was so beautiful, so sweet and kind. She didn't deserve this kind of pain. He wanted his response to be short. Something to make her think about what has happened. "Lily, you're not a freak." He made it as short and quiet as he could, he made it clear enough where he didn't have to repeat himself, giving himself enough time to exit the room and run up the staircase before she could get a word out of her mouth.

There Lily stood, watching him run up the stairs. It was James. It has always been James. How could she be so stupid?

James Potter had always acted out, but it was only until this year that he decided to change. And it was all for her, she realized that now. From the beginning of their fifth year to the end of their sixth year, he had repeatedly asked her out. But Lily had refused every time, for he was James Potter, the arrogant toerag. He must've known that if he couldn't get her by acting out, that he could get her by keeping his act together. And he was doing a good job at it, too. She stood there just a few moments more before continuing up the staircase, entering her dormitory.

The next morning she woke up, grabbing her school uniform out of her luggage and hurrying downstairs. She caught James' attention when she reached the corridor outside of the Great Hall, remembering last night. She approached him hesitantly and smiled. "Hi." She mumbled.

"Hello." He repeated monotonously, smiling back at her slyly. She looked up at him, biting her lip before hearing her name being called by Marlene. She always had to ruin Lily's moments.

"Bye." Lily muttered before running off to Marlene, not noticing to pair of eyes behind the circular glasses stare at her admiringly.

"What was that about, Lily?" Marlene had continued to ask her, which caused Lily's cheeks to redden every time.

The rest of the day was boring, the usual that went on: breakfast, classes, break/lunch, classes, dinner, then everybody went off to the dormitories to go to sleep. This routine went on for months, every month was the same, but the month of December, that was a special month for Lily Evans.

Not only was December one of Lily's favorite months, but the December of her seventh year was the year her life came together just how she wanted it.

It all started at the beginning of December, it was during the weekend where nobody had class. Lily and James promised they'd meet each other after breakfast in the Heads Common Room, which is exactly what happened.

Ever since the Rory incident, when James told her she wasn't a freak, her feelings for James Potter had blossomed into something more than just a 'trusting friendship.' They had become closer than ever in those few months, she had become nicer to James, even a bit flirty, and somehow, no matter how oblivious that he was, he had noticed.

Lily met him in the Common Room as promised, where he was sitting on the sofa in front of the fire. He had his Quidditch Jacket on, along with jeans. "Why are you dressed so warmly?" She asked, only wearing a T-shirt and jeans.

"Because, I'm taking you to Hogsmeade." He said with a grin, looking back at her. "I had Marlene fetch this." He said, throwing one of Lily's sweatshirts at her. It was a blue Christmas sweater with white deer on them. She tucked her T-shirt in and pulled on the sweatshirt, raising an eyebrow.

"We're not allowed into Hogsmeade, James, you know that." She stated with a small frown, not understanding why his grin still remained plastered on his face.

"I have a loop hole to the little problem." He said holding up an old, tattered cloak. Lily let out a small giggle, shaking her head.

"A cloak, Potter? A cloak is going to protect us from not getting caught?" She asked, letting out another giggle.

James shook his head, his grin widening. "No, but the Cloak of Invisibility will." He answered nonchalantly. Lily's eyes widened in amazement.

"You're lying!" She exclaimed, reaching for the cloak. Quickly James held it out of her reach, shaking his head. "Let me see it!" She exclaimed again, her face growing red with anger.

"Only if you go to Hogsmeade with me." He said, handing the cloak to her after she agreed to go.

She played with the cloak for a while before finally leaving the Common Room. There were plenty of people still at breakfast, which gave them an easy way to escape the castle, barely needing the cloak. By the time they got off of the grounds and removed the cloak from their bodies, they were covered in snow.

They made their way towards Hogsmeade. It took a while for Lily to start up a conversation, and the only thing she could come up with was, "Are you staying here for Christmas?"

Which he answered yes to, since he didn't have anywhere else to go, since his parents were dead. Lily frowned slightly, glancing over at him as she reached for his hand. This was his first Christmas without his parents, they died sometime during the summer. James smiled lightly, looking down at her.

"Come with me, you can stay at my house. It's not… It's not some fancy wizard house, but it's home. Will you come?" She asked, sounding a bit more needy than how she wanted to. James twined their fingers together and simply nodded. Lily didn't expect to be coming home for Christmas, she didn't expect to be falling in love with a wizard either.


	3. Chapter 3: Quidditch and a Pretend Date

They only had a few more days until Christmas break started, and the final Quidditch game of the year was today. The match was against Gryffindor and Slytherin. Every body was excited and ready for the game, except for James Potter, who was the most stressed out about it. He sat at the breakfast table the morning before the game, Sirius sat across from him as he tried to help a very frustrated James.

Lily was late for breakfast since she was up so late the night before doing homework, she finally got a chance to sleep in. She entered the Great Hall and frowned at the lack of people inside, although she instantly spotted Potter.

She approached him and smiled, sitting beside him, which was Sirius' opportunity to dump James' frustration onto Lily. "Hi." Lily greeted sheepishly. James just look at her and gave her a small smile. "Excited for the game tonight?" She asked. All he did was nod. She groaned and scowled at him, a grin plastering on his face.

"I'm fine. I'm just frustrated. This is that last game of the year and I just don't want to screw it up." He mumbled, looking down at his food.

"James," Lily began, sighing. "you're the best player on our team, you'll do fantastic like you do every year!" She exclaimed, grabbing an apple, taking a bite out of it.

He looked over at her and smiled. "Lily, will you do me a favor?" He asked. She raised an eyebrow and nodded. James reached into his bag, pulling out his Gryffindor Quidditch jacket, his name and number embroidered onto it, handing it to her.

"You want me to wear it?" She asked, almost blushing.

"Of course, Lily. Because today, you're my lucky charm." She blushed brightly but didn't argue. Pulling the jacket over her head, pulling it down to make it fit better.

"It's huge on me, James." She mumbled, trying to hide her grin.

James shook his head and reached for her fingers, playing with them. "It looks better on you than it does on me." He assured her before grabbing a banana, standing up, and leaving.

He was so sly with everything he said, he always said the right thing to make Lily feel so special and wanted. He's the one person she could never figure out.

Throughout the whole day, Lily wore James' jacket. Maybe because it was so comfy, or maybe because it smelt like him. But she never wanted to take it off.

Later that morning, Lily made her way to the Quidditch pitch, being one of the first people in the Gryffindor viewing stands. She made it there just in time for the game to start.

It was a rough game, as usual, Slytherin played dirty. Which wasn't a surprise to anyone. And as she said earlier, James was great, which wasn't a surprise either. Halfway through the game, a bludger went crazy, as if it had been tampered with. Several Gryffindor players came into a close call with the bludger, but one player got hit right in the gut, causing him to plummet to the ground. That player was James Potter.

Lily witnessed the whole thing, gulping as she looked at his mangled body on the ground until the game ended seconds later, his team carrying him off to the Hospital Wing. Lily pushed through the crowd of Gryffindor fans gasping and shouting, making her way Hospital Wing as fast as she could. She halted when she saw James. His body looked better, but he still looked exhausted from the whole catastrophe.

Sirius and Remus were there, who motioned for her to come over to see James, who continued to stir in his unconsciousness. She stood by him, sitting down when Remus pulled up a chair behind her. She reached for his hand, resting her head on his bed. He continued to stir before slowly opening his eyes.

"James." Lily whispered, a small smile on her face.

James squeezed her hand. "Did we win?" He asked, Sirius and Remus laughed lightly.

Lily nodded with a sad, pitiful smile. "Yeah, James. You won us the game."

"It wasn't me." James said, causing Lily to raise an eyebrow. "It was my lucky charm." He whispered, playing with her fingers gently. Lily blushed brightly, noticing Sirius and Remus watching carefully from the corner of her eye. She looked down into her lap shyly. "The bad part is, I have to be in here until the break if I want to be with you during Christmas." He told her.

She gulped lightly. It was time for her to tell him the truth. The truth on why she really invited him over for Christmas. She pulled her hand from his, setting it in her lap, which must have been a signal for Remus to pull Sirius out of the room, because that's exactly what he did. She twiddled her thumbs nervously as James looked down at her curiously.

"James, there's a reason I invited you over for break." She mumbled, sighing. He sat up, raising an eyebrow. "My sister, she's bringing her boyfriend over for dinner. Her muggle boyfriend. And growing up with Petunia, I know she's going to find somehow to mention how much of a freak I am. I just figured, if I brought a guy with me too, a guy who's cuter, and funnier, and sweeter, and great at everything he does, than maybe she'd treat me with some respect." She continued to look down, biting her lip.

"So, basically, you're saying you want me to be your pretend boyfriend?" He asked, grinning a bit. Lily nodded, avoiding eye contact. "Come here." He whispered, motioning for her to join him on the tiny hospital bed. She hesitated for a moment before climbing up beside him, feeling his arm wrap around her waist. "Lily, I've been trying for years to be your real boyfriend, and if I can't be that, then being your pretend boyfriend will just have to do." He told her, pulling her into a close embracement.

She looked up at him, kissing him on the cheek gently. "Thank you, Potter." She murmured, resting her head on his shoulder. "Only a few weeks, that's all I ask for."

He shade of red was painted across his face. He'd been waiting for that since 5th year. His hard work had finally paid off. "Anything for you, Evans." He mumbled, closing his eyes to remember this moment. Just a few more days, he thought. Just a few more days until he could be with her, just the two of them.


	4. Chapter 4: Only Time Would Tell

The last few days of school filled the students of Hogwarts with anxiety. Anxiety to leave. Anxiety to be with their family. Anxiety to be with the people they love. But Lily, her anxiety was filled with nervousness, nervousness on spending all of it with James Potter, who thankfully, was all better now since his Quidditch incident.

It was late at night when the students boarded the train in Hogsmeade Station. Lily sat in a compartment, far from where James and his friends usually sit. She had avoided him since the other day. She had to stop, because the next morning she'd be inviting him into her home. She settled down in a seat, spreading her body across it so she could hopefully get some sleep on the way to Kings' Cross. She closed her eyes before hearing the door slide open, suspecting it was James and his mates. "I was trying to get rid of you lot." She mumbled, keeping her eyes closed.

"It's just me, Evans." She heard a voice mutter. James' voice. Her eyes fluttered open to the sight of James sitting opposite of her.

"Shouldn't you be with Remus and Sirius?" Lily whispered, letting her eyes close.

"I couldn't find them, they'll probably be in here soon. Anyways, I'd rather be with you." James whispered back, leaning forward with a tiny grin.

"You're going to be with me throughout the whole break. The more you hang around me, the quicker you're going to get tired of putting up with me." Those were the last words that came out of her mouth before she found herself waking up, her head in James' lap. She opened her eyes to the sight of Sirius and Remus sitting across from them. She rolled onto her back, looking up at a gleaming James.

"Morning." He smirked.

"Morning." Lily whispered, sitting up and rubbing her eyes. "How long was I asleep?" She asked, sitting forward and pulling her legs to her chest.

"A few hours, the suns going to rise soon." He told her as she scooted closely to him, resting her head on his shoulder. He wrapped an arm around her waist, resting his hand on her thigh. She felt so comfortable around him. So safe.

She looked outside the window, watching as the sun rose slowly. It was beautiful. She smiled, looking up at James admiringly before she realized there were other people in the compartment.

She looked across at the bored boys sitting across from her and James when suddenly the train stopped. They were back at Kings Cross.

She saw her parents and Petunia outside waiting for her and she smiled. She turned to James and grabbed his wrist along with her luggage before pulling him off of the train. She approached her parents nervously. Would they like James? Would they notice how much of an arrogant toerag he was, just like she had?

She slid her hand from his wrist to his hand, her palms sweaty as she squeezed his fingers. "Nervous?" James asked, whispering it in her ear with a small grin.

"Shut up, Potter." She mumbled before she was standing inches away from her family. She let go of his hand to hug her parents, noticing the glares she was getting from a pouting Petunia. She stepped back to stand beside James again. "Mum, dad, this is James Potter." She introduced him, watching as he shook hands with her parents. There was a glimmer in Petunia's eye. "He's going to be staying with us for break, if that's okay with you." She announced, a look of worry showed in her parents as they exchanged a look.

The two nodded at each other. "Any friend of Lily's is welcome into our home." He mother assured them.

"Thank you. It's nice to meet you both." James told them.

"Lily?" Petunia asked, continuing when Lily looked at her and nodded. "Isn't he the same James Potter that you always used to talk about when you would come back from freak school? The one you've fancied for so long." Lily's mouth ran dry.

"Of course, Petunia." She mumbled. "And he's finally mine." She added, her hand shaking nervously. She felt James' hand reach for hers, which calmed her down a bit, except for the fact that now he knew that she had always fancied him. She saw as Petunia's face changed to a sassy, angry look.

The five of them walked to the car. The ride home was silent and awkward, but luckily short. They arrived home soon, which gave Lily a chance to shut herself in her room, the downside was that she was stuck with James.

She sat in her queen sized bed, her legs crossed, and sighed, her hands resting in her lap. She watched as James sat in a small armchair, staring at her.

"Sorry about Petunia." She mumbled, blushing.

James shook his head, moving onto the bed beside her. "Lily, don't apologize. I've always known you were madly in love with me." He teased. She hit him lightly in the chest.

"As my pretend boyfriend, James, would you mind taking me on a pretend double date?" She asked, pouting as she looked up at him.

"Who's the other couple? Frank Longbottom and that Alice girl?" He asked.

She shook her head and frowned. "Petunia and some muggle twat, tomorrow night."

"I'll do it." He promised.

The next night, Lily stood in front of her bedroom mirror, getting ready for a night that she was probably going to regret. As she finished, she heard a knock on her bedroom door. She opened it to see James in a suit and tie. He actually looked very handsome.

"Your sister's 'muggle twat' boyfriend is here." He murmured as he glanced at her dress. She looked so gorgeous, just like usual.

Lily stood in a short, teal, strapless dress in average sized white heels, smiling up at him. "Thank you, James." She muttered, reaching for his hand. "I owe you."

"I'm going to hold you to that, Evans." He told her, pulling her out of her room and out of the house. They sat together in the back of Vernon Dursley's car. This could go well. Maybe she would like Vernon, maybe Vernon would change Petunia's mind on Lily being a freak. There was still hope for Lily and her sister.

But only time would tell.


	5. Chapter 5: He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not

It wasn't a fancy restaurant, but it wasn't a fast food place either. It was a small restaurant just outside of London.

The two couples sat outside in the cold. Lily didn't mind the cold, it comforted her. Made her feel more at home. Vernon, Petunia's boyfriend, had offered to pay for all four of their dinners. Lily saw it in Vernon's eyes that he was scared, almost frightened for his life. After they had finished eating, they sat there for a while, talking about stuff going on in their lives, although Lily and James avoided the wizard part. Soon into the conversation, Petunia announced that her and Vernon were engaged, showing off her fancy ring. Lily was absolutely delighted and in awe. There was a jealous sparkle in her eyes that James noticed, he reached under the table, grasping her hand gently.

It went down hill after that. Vernon began talking about his job, which must have paid well, because he wouldn't stop boasting about his 'fancy' new car. He made a comment about how in the Wizarding World they probably didn't have nice cars like that. Lily squeezed James' hand nervously. James had not been nervous at all. In fact, James fought back. Keeping his promise to make Petunia's date seem like a pile of dirt.

"We do. As Wizarding kind, we also fly on brooms. I have the fastest racing broom in the school. It could beat your stupid car in a flash." James seemed very confident in himself. Maybe too confident.

"You must be living on unemployment benefits then." Vernon grunted back.

"Oh no. My parents are quite wealthy, actually." That was Vernon's face became red, he stood up, throwing his napkin angrily onto the table.

"Petunia, darling, let's go." He growled, stomping off. Petunia gave them a disapproving look before gasping. She rolled her eyes and scampered off, following Vernon.

Lily's face flushed a pale white color, her eyes began to water as her body trembled. James sat back in his seat looking like he had just won a Quidditch match against a national team. Quickly, Lily began bursting into tears, standing up and walking away, stumbling in the snow. She crossed the road and ended up in a park, surrounded by tree.

She heard running footsteps behind her, which just caused her to walk quicker. Suddenly, she tripped in the snow and fell on her bottom, cupping her face in her hands as she sobbed silently.

"Lily." The followers lips called from beside her, their voice shaky. She felt a jacket being wrapped around her shoulder and her heels being removed from her feet. "Lily, I'm so sorry." The voice whispered. They grabbed her wrist, pulling her hands down gently so she could meet their eyes. James' eyes. Lily shook her head, wiping her eyes with her fingers.

"She's never going to talk to me again. I had one chance, now she hates me, and it's all my fault." She mumbled, staring at the snow, grabbing the jacket and pulling it closer to her. She felt herself being lifted, now standing.

"Lily," James mumbled as his hand pressed against the small of her back, guiding her through the park. "it's not your fault. It's mine." He sat down on a bench nearby, pulling her into the seat beside him. "I showed off a little too much."

"No, James, you were excellent. You did exactly as you said you would." She sighed, pressing her head against his shoulder. His hands brushed through her hair. They heard a church bell ring loudly nearby. It rang 12 times. Midnight. "James." She whimpered, sitting up.

"What?" He asked, frowning at her sudden urgency.

"It's midnight. It's Christmas and I was too caught up in this stupid date business to get you anything." She whispered, staring at the ground.

"Lily, being invited here, with you, is the best gift I could ask for." He sighed, watching her silently. "It's Christmas, we can't just sit here and mope about a lost cause, now, can we?" He asked, standing to his feet and reaching for her hands. Lily shook her head, looking up at him with furrowed brows.

"Everything is closed, it's midnight. There isn't anywhere to go." Lily stated, sighing again.

"There's a nearby park, you love parks." He told her, pulling her to her feet, leading her there, for it wasn't far. "I want to show you my present." They soon reached the park, covered in snow, they stood there for a moment. "Close your eyes, Lily." She listened, covering her closed eyelids with her hands. She soon fell when a large, cold, ball collided with her stomach.

"Potter!" She squealed, uncovering her eyes. She reached into the cold snow, grabbing a glob of it and forming it into a ball, standing up and approaching him. "Now, what if I messed up that marvelous hair of yours." She questioned.

James had glared down at her, shaking his head. "You wouldn't dare." He hissed before she dropped of onto his head. He watched her giggle, her gorgeous green eyes squinted when she did so, and it was absolutely adorable. He wanted so badly to kiss her. He didn't, but he should have. He didn't want to rush thing, he wanted them to take their tole, which they eventually did. But that comes later. Right now, at that moment, Lily was leaning into him, her beautiful auburn curls were covered in snow, draping over her shoulders. Her bright freckles shined brightly with the shade of red that was on her face. A mix of cold and blushing from how closely they stood in utter silence. In the moment, she looked so perfect. Like a princess. The kind or princess she deserved to be treated like. He had always known that. But it wasn't until that moment that he took action in that choice from then on.

Lily's body trembled from the cold. She didn't want to move. She didn't want that moment to end. She rested her head on his chest. She listened to his heart beat speed up. Her thoughts matched his. Could he still like her, even after how rottenly she had treated him all those years? She wanted to kiss him too. But after Rory Jackson, she didn't think she could ever trust a guy again. Although, the more she thought about it, the more she realized that James and Rory were complete opposites.

Rory: sure he was attractive and sweet, but she barely knew him, yet he insisted they were a perfect match for each other. He then ended up breaking her heart.

James: He was smart, obviously from the Head Boy badge he had earned. He was funny, he knew how to make Lily feel all better when nobody else did. He was attractive. He was brave and athletic, thanks to Quidditch. And Lily had known him for seven years. In fact, from the beginning of fifth year to the end of sixth year, he hand't given up his attempt to impress her, trying to win her heart countless amount of times. And he had finally done it.

The real question was, did he feel the same way about her?


	6. Chapter 6: A New Year

It was the last day of December, the last day until the new year of 1979. The same day that Petunia Evans was to become Petunia Dursley. But that was nothing Lily had known about, since she had not been invited. So she had spent her whole day, stuck in her room, waiting for James to come back from a bit of shopping. As she waited, the sun beginning to sink from the sky, she heard on knock on her already open door. She looked up from her book to her friend, who held a basket and a large blanket.

"Three hours 'till midnight, care for a picnic?" He greeted with a sly grin.

"You're full of surprises, Potter." She laughed, a smile spreading across her lips as she jumped out of the covers. She dug through her closet, searching for her jumper and pulling it over her head. "Is this another attempt at a better pretend date?" She asked.

James shook his head, blushing slightly. "More along the lines of an actual date, come on." She furrowed her brows but nodded, following him out of her home. He led her to a lake a few miles out, tossing the blanket onto the ground, flattening in and placing the basket down. "There's a surprise to come, I promise." Lily sat down, opening the picnic basket to find some food that was only available to wizards, a bottle of firewhiskey, and his wand.

"James, you didn't go to Diagon Alley all for me, did you?" She asked, watching him nod with a shrug.

They ate their food, talking as the hours went by, and before they knew it, it was midnight, and fireworks enchanted the sky beautifully. "Joke shops sell great fireworks." He whispered as he leaned back to watch them, glancing over at Lily to see the light reflecting in her eyes. He pulled her towards him, sitting up to whisper into her ear. "I just want you to know, Lily, that I still like you." He sighed.

Lily turned to him, cocking her head to the side with a smile. "I know." She whispered before leaning into him, her lips pressing against his softly. She could almost feel the sparks, or perhaps it was just the fireworks.

James was the one to pull away, a goofy grin on his lips. He quickly frowned when the fireworks died down. "Lily, there's something I need to tell you." He sighed, looking down.

"What is it?" She asked, gulping.

"It's my parents, they died, remember?" He asked, biting his bottom lip.

"Of course, they were mugged, that's what I was told." She answered, watching as he shook his head.

"I…. I didn't know how to tell you then, but I can now, while we're alone." He sighed again, his hands shaking. "Of course, due to their wealth, people grew jealous of them, as well as of their fame, and their support of… Muggles and defiance of the Dark Arts. They… Lily, they were attacked."

"By wizards?" She asked, reaching for his hand, gripping it tightly.

"By Death Eaters, they're rising, quickly. And you know why." He whispered.

"No… James, no." She cried out softly. "It can't be, the rumours, they can't be true." He shook her head, tears forming in her eyes.

He nodded as she fell into his chest sobbing softly. They both knew what that meant. That all Muggle-borns were in trouble. "It's okay, it's okay." He repeated, his voice muffled by her hair as he hid his face into it. He pulled her into his lap, embracing her tightly. "I'll keep you safe, okay. No matter what. There's ways, I promise." His voice shook, he couldn't stand seeing her like this.

"How? How could I possibly live a normal life when I have to hide?" She asked, her hands gripping his jumper as she shuttered.

"Dumbledore. He's the most powerful wizard we know, I've heard rumours as well, from the Professors at night, that Voldemort fears him the most." He told her.

She sat up, hitting him in the chest. "Don't say that! Don't you dare say that name, James." She growled, her face red with anger and fear.

"Fear of the name itself only increases fear of the thing, Lily." He murmured, grabbing her wrist. "There's a group that Dumbledore created, he calls it 'The Order of the Phoenix," he offered we join, along with Sirius and Remus. Please join, Lily. Please do it." He begged, gulping. "It's the only thing that will guarantee you safety."

She sighed, her eyes darting around in the darkness before she nodded. "Fine, I'll do it, only if you promise me one thing."

"Anything, Lily, you name it." He told her, raising an eyebrow.

"Promise me you'll stay with me through the end, no matter what." She pleaded, her eyes watering once more in fear he wouldn't agree.

"I wouldn't leave you for anything in the world." He promised her, sliding his hand from her wrist to her fingers, playing with them gently.

She sighed as she wiped her face with her sleeve. "This was a nice date." She murmured, smiling. "If only I agreed to do this years ago."

"If only." He teased. "Maybe you'd agree to do it again.

"Maybe." She grinned, kissing his jawline gently before falling into his chest, drifting off into a light sleep.


End file.
